I teach grades Pre-K through 4th in two different schools in my district. These grades also include MD, ABA, BD, ED and LLD classes. Because I teach in two different schools, I teach 632 students. I teach at Bryant Elementary School and Lowell Elementary School, both located in Teaneck, NJ. My title is Travel Physical Education teacher. We run on a 6 day A-F schedule and I am in one school on B, C, D days and the other on E, F, A days. I have been teaching full time for 4 years, all with Teaneck. I have been so grateful for having this stability and being able to watch my students grow.

Current Lesson Plan

My current lesson plan involves use of the Nintendo Wii and Wii Fit. I use the games on Wii Fit to peak the students’ attention, since they are all familiar with video games. I use the Basic Run Plus program to show the students how to keep a good pace. During the school year, they have a lot of lessons outside running so I like to start the school year by introducing pace and having them practice with the Wii. The kids have a blast and get great exercise without realizing it! Continue reading →

Plickers magnet assessment, or “plagnets” for short, have been taking the Physical Education community by storm these past few months. Magnet assessment as an idea came from Joey Feith (PhysicalEducator.com), and he got the idea from teachers using SOLO Taxonomy where students track their learning via cognitive understanding rubrics. Students would put initials on chart paper, or place sticky notes as they advanced through the learning mini-objectives or targets. Joey decided to replace sticky notes with magnets, which was a wonderful idea! I fell in love with using the magnets, and my students were never more engaged than when they took control of their learning progressions. Continue reading →

With the start of the school year underway, I thought I would share some key things to keep in mind when teaching procedures to students. As an experienced teacher who interacts with new teachers on a regular basis, one of the most common complaints I get is problematic student behavior. This is one of the reasons many teachers choose to leave the profession. It can be frustrating when you feel like no matter what your best efforts are, you just cannot get that class or those certain students to behave. There are many mitigating factors that can affect student behavior, and as teachers we cannot control all of them. Thus, it is important to control what we can: what we teach and how we teach it.

Before I get to the key components, it is important to note that procedures include teaching students how you want them to behave in any given situation. Walk into a school that uses PBIS, or Positive Behavior Intervention and Supports, and you will see expectations for procedures in every area of that school. For example, when you walk into the cafeteria, you will see a chart on expected behavior. The same goes for the hallway, classroom, and other spaces in the school. Thus, teaching proper behavior should be an integral part when going over your procedures. And the good thing is that procedures can be taught at any time during the year!

Bullying Prevention Month is a campaign that is truly important to me and the entire S&S team. I genuinely enjoy coming up with new and creative ways that kids can use our products to gain a greater understanding of what bullying is, raise awareness, and ultimately put an end to bullying.

This year, while thinking about what type of projects to create and share, I remembered an article I had read on the Parents Magazine website on social and emotional skills and dramatic play. The article talked about the importance of dramatic and cooperative play, reinforcing children learn how to take turns, share responsibility, and problem solve when engaging in these activities. What undoubtedly stood out in this article was simple, but resonated with me all these months later. “When children pretend to be different characters, they have the experience of walking in someone else’s shoes, which helps teach the moral skill of empathy.” Continue reading →